Amusement-railway.



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UNITED .STATES PATE-Nr bFFroE.

ANNE E. W. FRAZER, WASHINGTN, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. l

AMUSEM E NT-RAll-WAY- To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANNE E. W. FRAzEn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amusement-Railways, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the iigures of reference marked thereon.

My invention relates to amusement-railways, and is designed to provide means whereby a vehicle carrying a rider may be caused to traverse the inner periphery of'a circular vertically-arranged path without apparent means of support.

Heretofore in devices known as "loop-theloop railways a vehicle has been caused to traverse the inner .periphery of a more or less circular loop without leaving the track by the momentum gained by the descent of an inclined pathway before entering the loop. Vehicles have also been caused to traverse the inner periphery of a circular verticallyarranged pathway by being secured to a supporting-arm extending radially from a shaft arranged at the center of the circular path. In the device of my invention I dispense with the inclined pathway of the first-mentioned devices and also dispense with the radial supporting-arm of the other device mentioned.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of my device, showing an arrangement by which.'two vehicles may be caused to traverse the inner periphery ofa circular path'in opposite directions. Fig. 2 is a sidel view of the circular pathway. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the pathway. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the shoe.

In the drawings, 1 is a circular verticallyarranged pathway comprising separate parallel portions 2, 3, and 4, separated by narrow spaces 5 and 6. The circular pathway 1 is supported by means of braces 7 and 8, connected, respectively, to the pathway near its upper and lower points and extending outward to a suitable upright 9. The braces 8, connected to the circular pathway near its lower point, are preferably hollow and may be conveniently made of ordinary metal iping; A shoe 10, preferably equal in lengt to about one-fourth of the circumference of the circular pathway, is arranged in each of the slots 5 and 6.y The inner faces of the portions 2, 3, and 4 are preferably formed with grooves 1 1, into which a rib 12 on the shoe fits. The portions 2, 3, and 4 of the circular pathway Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed March 2l, 1903. Renewed July 15,4 1905. Serial No. 269,908.

v,Patented aan. 30,1906.

are rigidly connected on their external faces by cross-bars 13, which are bent outward opposite the slots 5 and 6 to permit free passage of the shoes 10.

To the shoe 10 at a point near the end which in the position in which the shoe is shown in Fig. 1 is farthest from the entrance to the hollow brace 8 .is'secured a cord or band 14, which when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 extends'along the outer face of the shoe, thence along the outer face of the circular pathway, making a complete circuit of the pathway, extending again along the outer face of the shoe, and thence through the hollow brace 8 to the pulley 15 and has a weight 16 secured to its end. The cord or band should obviously be ofsuch diameter or width relative to the width of the slot that it will not drop through the slot. In order to avoid excessive friction at starting between the cord or band and the outer surface of the pathway, the cord or band is detachably secured to the shoe after it has passed completely around the pathway. This detachable connection consists of a projection 17 on the cord or band and a notched projection 18 on the shoe, referably near the end opposite to that at w 'ch the end of the cord or band is secured. The portion of the cord or band between the points of its attachment to the shoe is sufficiently slack to permit of its moving on the outer surface of the pathway without excessive friction. The ull of the cord or band in starting will be t ough the projection 17 on the projection 18, the cord lying in the notch of the rejection 18. As the rojection 18 passes t e entrance of the holibw brace 8 it will readily detach itself from the projection 17, and thereafter the pull of the cord or band will be through its end attachment on the shoe. By the time the projection 18 has passed the entrance to the hollow brace 8 the shoe will'have acquired considerable momentum by reason of the pull of the cord or band on the projection 18, as well as by the gravitational force of the vehicle and rider, and the strain on the cord or band necessary to maintain the speed of the shoe and the -friction of the .cord or band on outer surface of the pathway will consequently be comparatively small.

` Secured to the inner face of the 4shoe is a clamp 19, extending1 through the slot and adapted to engage t e vehicle 20, which in this' case is preferably a bicycle carrying a r'idcrJZl, who for the sake of safety should be IOO IOS

strapped or otherwise secured in position. The clamp 19 is referably arranged near the end of the shoe arthest from the entrance of the hollow brace 8. The clamp is preferably constructed with a forward portion 22 curved to follow the curve of the tire of the front wheel and engaging the front fork of the bicycle and with arear portion 23 curved to follow the curve of the rear wheel and engaging the frame of the bicycle, 4and the clamp is preferably so arranged that the wheel of the icycle may revolve freely.

The projection 17 on the cord4 or band 14 is preferably so located that when it engages the projection 18 on the shoe the portion of the cord or band surrounding the circular pathway will be slightly slack.

The parts being in the position in which they are shown in Fi 1 and the rider being in position and the w eels of the bic cle being put in motion, the weight 16 is ropped and the shoe 10, which has been temporaril)T held in position by any convenient means, is let go. The weight 16 through the cord or band 14 and its pxiojection 17, engaging the rojection 18 on t e shoe, aided by the weight of the bicycle and its rider, causes the bicycle and its rider to appear to ride downward to the lowest of the circular pathway. As the rojection 18 passes the entrance of the holow brace 8 it disengages itself from the projection 17, and the pull of the cord or band is then upon the rear end of the shoe, as above described. The further descent of the weight causes the shoe carrying the bicycle and its rider to traverse the inner periphery of the circular pathway until it comes to rest at the lowest point. Any convenient means for checking the momentum of the shoe at the proper point may be employed.

It will be understood that if only one bicycle is to be used the track may be made in two portions, only one slot and shoe being necessary. I prefer, however, to use two shoes, as shown, and to arrange them, as shown, to move in o posite directions.

Instead of a weight 16 any other motive power may be used.

I prefer to so arrange the braces 7 and 8 that the circular pathway will be supported at a slight elevation above the ground or floor on which the uprights rest. The circular pathway should be so constructed as to conceal the 'shoes and the cords or bands, and the slots should be made as narrow as possible.

The weight 16 should of course be sufficient to overcome the weight of the bicycle and rider and the friction on the cord or band, and 'it should be arranged to fall a distance sufficient to carry the shoe completely v around the circular pathway.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

lried by the shoe and extending throng 1. In an amusement-railway, the combination of a circular verticallyarranged pathway, comprising parallel portions separated by a slot, means for sustaining the pathway in vertical osition, a clamp extending through the s ot, and means connected to the clam lexterior to the pathway for, causing the c amp to traverse the pathway; substantially as described. i

2. In an amusement-railway, the combination of a circular verticallyarranged path- -way, comprising parallel portions so arran ed as to leave a slot between contiguous ara lel portions, a clamp extending throug each slot, and means connected with the clam s exterior to the pathway for causing t e clamps to traverse the pathway in opposite directions; substantially as described.

3. In an amusement-railway, the combination of a circular vertically arranged pathway, comprising arallel portions separated by a slot, means or sustaining the pathway in vertical position, a shoe adaptedto traverse the exterior of the pathway, a clam ,car-

.the

slot and means for causing the shoe to traverse the pathway; substantially as described.

4. In an amusement-railway, the combination of a circular verticallyarranged pathway, comprising arallel portions separated by a slot, means or sustaining the pathway in osition comprising braces, oneof which is ollow, a clamp extending through the slot, a cord or band connected with the clamp and extending through the hollow brace, and means acting on the cord or band to cause the clamp to traverse the periphery of the pathway; substantially as described.

5. In an amusement-railway, the combination of a circular verticallyarranged pathway, comprising parallel ortions separated by a slot, means for vsustaining the pathway in osition, comprising braces, one of which is ollow, a clamp extending through the slot, a cord or band connected with the clamp and extending through the hollow brace; substantially as described.

6. In an amusement-railway, the combination of a circular verticallyarranged pathway, comprising arallel portions separated by a slot, means or sustaining the pathway in vertical position, a shoe adapted to traverse the exterior of the pathway, a clam carried by the shoe and extending throng the slot, a cord or band secured to the shoenear one end, extending around the exterior of the circular pathway and provided with means for detachably enga ing the shoe near its other end; substantia ly as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANNE E. W. FRAZER. Witnesses:

Jos. I-I. BLAcKwooD, A. P. GREELEY.

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